SPEAKING
How do you move an individual, a team, an industry, or a society?
With stories.
Ash is a sought-after keynote speaker and coach, sharing his hard-won insights on storytelling and human-centred leadership.
He brings these ideas to life through real-world examples from his work and travels, ranging from a 1000km walk through Uganda and Sudan, to an 8500km journey along Russia’s European frontier (including Belarus, Donbas, and occupied Crimea); and from countering violent extremism in Britain, to honouring the oral history of indigenous cultures in Ecuador and New Zealand.
Every organisation has its own story. Ash works closely with each client to understand the themes, challenges and ambitions of their audience; and to craft bespoke keynotes that leave a lasting impact.
LEADING STORIES: Changing beliefs and behaviours through storytelling.
As leaders, the stories that we tell matter, and Ash knows about stories. He takes skills from journalism and influence campaigns, and applies them to leadership and business.
As a coach to experienced senior leaders, and a mentor to students starting out, he has an insight into the challenges and opportunities across generations, which is vital for the modern workplace.
Whether addressing senior executives or innovative founders, Ash’s presentations are a masterclass in:
Strategic communications: Changing the beliefs & behaviours of a critical audience through stories.
Human-Centred Leadership: How to foster a culture of psychological safety and trust.
Why emotional connection is more powerful than rational persuasion.
Identifying stakeholders, working out how to speak to them, and thinking about the impact on secondary and accidental audiences.
Aligning personal motivations with goals.
Finding serendipity, purpose, and fulfilment in our work and daily lives.
WHY WE TRAVEL: Understanding motivations to make travel better.
We spend more on travel than any other pastime, but our travel experiences can sometimes feel unfulfilling. After twenty years of exploring the world, Ash wanted to know why.
After interviewing anthropologists, geneticists, psychologists, astronauts and more, he believes it’s because we out too much focus on what we do during travel (the mechanisms), rather than why we leave home in the first place (our motivations). By knowing this, we can develop better travel experiences for ourselves and for visitors, and reach them through compelling stories.
Ash is regularly asked to share his insights on:
Building fulfilling travel experiences.
The new trends in travel and tourism.
Why travel will grow in the era of AI.
Understanding traveller motivations.
Common mistakes in travel marketing and PR.
The power of authenticity and stories in the AI era.
Building truly sustainable travel and tourism.
How to reach audiences through stories.
WORK WITH ASH
Ash Bhardwaj is available for keynote speaking, panel discussions, and bespoke workshops and coaching. You can watch his broadcast showreel here.
To discuss your event and book Ash as a speaker, please get in touch via speaking@ashbhardwaj.com
TESTIMONIALS
“Ash is one of the best speakers we have had. He created a bespoke talk for our conference, telling entertaining stories whilst drawing out lessons that reinforced the event theme. His talk was perfect, and everyone wanted to ask questions." - International SOS
"We truly enjoyed having Ash speak at our annual internal event. Our teams liked his examples about heroes and stories, and how they affect us. Ash told this beautifully, leaving everyone impressed with another way of looking at challenges in business and life in general." - Adyen Software
“Ash’s talk was interesting, funny and inspiring. A packed audience thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and were keen to ask Ash questions and learn more about his adventures. Ash was very professional and great fun to work with - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.” - The Telegraph
“Ash’s unique and engaging style soon had the audience eating out of the palm of his hands. The guys took a lot of positives away from it. Months later, and they’re still asking when you’re coming again! Highly recommended for anyone looking for a speaker.” - PGI Consulting
“Ash was a great speaker and had a wonderful, relevant speech.” - Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
“Ash is a man of vast personal experience. He has the ability to share this experience eloquently, through his personable & relaxed style.” - The Royal Foundation
“Ash’s talk was interesting, well illustrated and delivered in a dynamic style. It was fascinating and the good audience lots of questions afterwards.” - RSGS
“Ash was an absolute star and an utter pleasure to work with. It was really nice to work with someone so down to earth yet professional and talented.”- Thinking Juice
“Syrup-like, pure inspiration.” - British Army
“Ash’s talk inspired and energised our team like nothing else. They were captivated from the moment he stepped on stage, and still talk about how much he changed their thinking, and the way that they work.”- IQPC
"Thank you for delivering such an excellent and engaging talk. You had us all captivated - it struck exactly the right tone. Thank you!” - Explore
“We have had such positive feedback from your session, thank you so much for delivering such an interesting and inspiring talk.” - Aspire Leaders of Luxury